Mortality of the Immortal
by Creative Echoes
Summary: This is a story about how the women at Helms Deep may have felt. And about the alliance of Men and Elves. Based on the movie (even if I like the Helms Deep Book Version more) lol. Please R/R ~~~Arwen (Lauri)


A.N.: Hey all! This is a fic I was inspired to write after seeing the Helms Deep scenes in TTT. It's based off of the movie. Even if I hated that Haldir had to die, I needed to use it to write this fic. *hugs Haldir* Don't worry Haldir! I still love you! Lol. It's basically about what some of the women at Helms Deep might have felt. And about the relationships (not romantic) between men and elves. Please Read! And Please Please don't flame me. If it sucked, I know it already. Lol. The characters are all made up (well except for 2, Eowyn and Aragorn but they're not really important in here). Hope you like it!  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~ Mortality of the Immortal ~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
She had grown up her whole life knowing little about the elves of Middle Earth. She only knew that they were immortal. They had the power of self- healing. She knew that they got to live forever, and that they never ever got sick. In a sense, she thought of them as untouchable. She was now 18 years old and still had never seen one. So when the elves arrived at Helms Deep, she would have given anything to go out and see them. Unfortunately, they would not let her venture outside of the cave. They had taken her twelve year-old brother, they had taken her father, and they had taken her cousins. Now to top it all off, she was stuck in this cave, not knowing if she was to live or die, and she couldn't even see the elves before that possible end arrived.  
  
As the pounding of the enemy's army grew louder, she sat as near to the cave entrance as she was allowed. Then as suddenly as the pounding had arrived, it ceased. The whole of Helms Deep feel silent, except for the sound of the falling rain. She strained to hear anything that was happening. There was only the faint sound of firm orders delivered by her people. Then the roar of the battle exploded into the air causing her to jump. There were louder orders being shouted now and the sound of crashes and the bellowing of the Uruk-Hai.  
  
Hours and Hours passed and all she could do was wait. For once she fully understood how Lady Eowyn felt. This cursed woman's body, it was like an inescapable trap. She would forever be the one who was left behind. She would forever be behind the wall, unable to see what was on the other side. She slowly but surely became frustrated with not knowing what was happening. Occasionally the doors of the cave would open and a wounded man would be carried in, but she could see nothing. The only thing that changed in those few moments was the sound. The sound of the screams, the endless screams grew louder.  
  
Finally she could no longer stand being so far away. She stood up and slipped quietly into the hall by the door. What she saw caused her to stop and gasp in shock. All around the room were bodies of bleeding dead men. They were all dead by now, for there was no one there to help them.  
  
She was about to turn back to the deeper part of the caves when some movement caught her eye. She slowly approached the horrifying dead bodies and she received another shock. The movement came from no man, but an elf with golden hair. His eyes were closed and there was blood soaking through his clothes and around his golden armor. She wanted nothing more than to turn and run, but she couldn't. He was alive and she wouldn't leave him alone.  
  
"S-Sir." She choked out quietly. The elf opened his eyes, which she could now see were a pale blue. He looked to be not much older than she was, but she was sure he was many many years older for elves were immortal, they did not age quickly.  
  
"My Lady you should be in the caves with you kin. It is not safe this close." He croaked and winced in pain.  
  
"I-I know this. But you see I cannot just l-leave you here." She said studying the elf's eyes. They were not like that of a man, they seemed to have more light and even in the pain of death they seemed to speak.  
  
"You are very noble My Lady, but do not linger here for me."  
  
"Then I-I will take you with me" she said, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. She had not the strength to carry this elf back the few yards into the caves and he most certainly could not walk on his own.  
  
The elf managed a small smile. "You surprise me my lady."  
  
She was about to reply but the door to the cave was opening. She should run, but she stayed her place. Two soldiers came in carrying another wounded man, but before they even got him in all the way he died. They then took notice to her.  
  
"You should be back in the caves Miss. You cannot be here." One man said.  
  
"I know, but sir this elf, he is alive, you cannot just leave him here."  
  
"We understand miss, but we cannot do anything. Now please go back to your place."  
  
"I will not leave him." She said firmly looking the man right in the eyes.  
  
"Then what do you propose we do?" he was beginning to sound impatient with her.  
  
"Move him back here with me. If you do that I promise I will stay away from this door."  
  
"Fine." The man said and beckoned the other soldier for help. They carefully lifted the wounded elf and carried him back into the caves and to the corner where she led them. When they had him safely placed in the corner they headed back out the door.  
  
Most of the smaller children had run away and were now staying their distance. The girl sat carefully next to this poor wounded creature whose eyes were again closed in pain. The girl forced words to be formed in her mouth and spoke.  
  
"My name is Farwila, may I ask yours?"  
  
"Throhuil." He said quietly, opening his eyes to look at her. "Why do you stare at me so?"  
  
"I-I've just never seen an elf before."  
  
"Well, now you have seen one" he said with a smile before coughing painfully. She decided right there and then to forget all fear she had of touching this creature. She was too concerned to care anymore. With shaking hands she carefully lifted him so his upper body was resting on her lap. He opened his eyes slowly and saw her own were full of worry.  
  
"You truly are very kind Lady Farwila." His voice was weak from coughing.  
  
She smiled warmly down at him. She felt he was shaking slightly and he was flushed. His breathing was also uneven. "Y-you're going to be all right aren't you? I mean..elves can't die. . .right?"  
  
The look on his face now told her she was very wrong. "We can be killed. We can be killed in battle. We can also die of a broken heart." He said sadly.  
  
She felt as if the air had been sucked out of her. This elf, he could die. The immortal were mortal. How? He can't die.  
  
"My Lady? Are you all right?"  
  
"Y-yes." She nodded weakly forcing a smile. She carefully took his helmet off of his head and set it beside them. "So, what's it like where you come from? Where do you come from?"  
  
"I am from the golden woods. Lothlorien. It is most beautiful there. There are many trees, and a river running through them. And the Lady Galadriel is one of the most wise and beautiful of all elves. You really should go there sometime; I'm sure you would prefer it over this dead stone." He had to shut his eyes as dizziness overcame him.  
  
She took his hand in her own and held it gently. Her eyes moved to the blood still soaking through his clothes, and now her own, from a wound on his left side. She was sure it was bad, because there was a lot of blood. By the looks of where it was, it had surely broken several of his ribs.  
  
"Does..does it hurt a lot?" she asked of his side.  
  
"I must admit I have never felt anything worse."  
  
"Can't you just heal? Doesn't that work?"  
  
"I am healing, but it may not help. I could still-"  
  
"Don't. Don't say that." She cut him off. She brushed some of his hair off of his face and felt that he had a terrible fever. "I think you're going to be fine." Tears rolled down her cheeks even though she was trying her best not to let them.  
  
"Why do you cry?"  
  
"I just don't understand. How can you still die? You're immortal, you are not meant to die. I-I won't let you." Her voice shook.  
  
"My Lady, do not fear for me that which I do not fear for myself."  
  
She was astonished. There he was; in pain and knowing that death was surely upon him, and yet he felt no fear. 'He does not fear death?'  
  
"Farwila, Farwila." She heard a tiny voice as someone tugged her sleeve. She looked over and there stood a tiny girl of seven, her sister.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Who-who is this?"  
  
"This is Throhuil, he is an elf. Throhuil, this is my sister, Faresala."  
  
"Pleased to meet you Lady Faresala." He muttered, and she felt his breathing falter for a moment.  
  
"Faresala could you go get me some water?" she asked her sister who nodded and hurried over to one of the tiny pools. She had a small bowl from their pack, which she filled with water and carried it back. She watched as her big sister tore some cloth from her sleeve and dipped it in the water, placing it on the elf's forehead.  
  
"Are you really an elf?" the little girl asked sitting beside them. She picked up his helmet, looking at it curiously.  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"What's it like being an elf?"  
  
"What's it like being a human?" he asked laughing quietly. He only regretted it when it sent a sharp pain ripping through his body, from his side. He had to stifle a cry and had to again close his eyes from a new wave of dizziness.  
  
Farwila felt new tears well up in her eyes as she saw the pain on the elf's face. "Faresala, maybe you should g-go back to mother." She said, and her little sister quietly stood and left. "Maybe you should not speak for a while." She said to Throhuil as he tried to steady his breathing.  
  
So the hours passed, with the battle still raging outside the cave. To try and distract the elf warrior from the sounds of death and destruction outside, Farwila spoke to him. She told him stories of her Kings, and stories from when she was a child. Anything to drown out those screams. The men had long ago stopped carrying in the wounded, because they all seemed to die quickly anyway. So the door remained closed.  
  
She noticed that the wound on his side had stopped bleeding. She wondered if he had healed completely or if it had simply stopped bleeding. His fever had gone down and he was no longer shaking, but his breathing was still shallow and uneven.  
  
Darkness turned to dawn and she heard the doors open again. When they closed again she heard the voices of several men. They were speaking of barricading the door. They were not winning this battle, the enemy was. They wanted to evacuate them out of the cave.  
  
"My Lady you must leave now. We are going to evacuate the cave." One soldier said as he entered the cave.  
  
"I will not leave."  
  
"You must leave *now* my lady"  
  
"No." she said, and by the tone of her voice, he knew she meant it. She was not going to go anywhere, so he moved on and began moving the rest of the women and children away.  
  
"You should leave." Throhuil spoke, his voice seemed to be regained. "Do not stay here, it is not safe."  
  
"I would not leave you here before, I will not leave you now." She said with a smile. She heard the doors open again, and the sound of the remaining men riding out. "How do you feel?" she asked, trying to hide her fear by changing the subject.  
  
"Much better actually. I think you were correct when you said you would not let me die Lady Farwila."  
  
They heard the bellowing of the Uruk-hai as they were attacked yet again. The screaming of the men and elves was far lessened. They were winning, she was sure of it. When she heard the cries of victory from outside she was certain. They had won after all. Her thoughts flew to her brother. Was he alive? Was he hurt? What of her father? The rest of her family? What of the elves? She was so glad when she saw one of the soldiers run in to stop the rest from fleeing the caves.  
  
"Sir! Sir, how do we fare? How many have we lost?" she asked him on his way back out.  
  
"We have lost many, but the enemy has retreated. We have won my lady. We are safe." And with that he hurried back out to the joyous celebration going on outside the walls.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Farwila only left Throhuil when she had stopped a dark haired man with the Lady Eowyn who she understood was a trained healer to make sure he would be all right. She then promised to return and see him after she had found her family. She found her father quickly enough. Everyone had begun to come into the caves or out of them. Her father had come in, along with her cousins.  
  
"Where is Farubain? Where is my brother?" she asked looking around for him. Her father shook his head and she nearly fell over. 'Dead? They killed my brother. They killed him...' "Do you k-know where he is?"  
  
"No. We lost track of him during the battle, but he would be here if he were alive." Her father said sadly and went to find her mother.  
  
Farwila stood there for what seemed like ages, as she let it sink in. Her brother was dead. He wasn't coming back. And they didn't even know where he was! She didn't know whether to be sad or angry. She settled with ignoring both emotions and started towards the door.  
  
When she stepped out she halted quickly in disgust and horror. Part of the wall was gone, and covering all that remained of it, were hundreds upon hundreds of dead bodies. She reeled back and had to take hold of the person nearest her to keep from collapsing. She looked over and saw that it was Throhuil. He was up and moving! She was now torn between 3 emotions, adding great joy to the list.  
  
She tried to speak but no words would come, she simply stared at him, still on the verge of collapse. He wore a look similar to her own, blank and just plain shocked.  
  
"My brother..." she finally managed to speak. "He was only twelve. He's out t-there somewhere..." she looked again at the wall. Telling herself not to cry, she looked back at the elf she had taken care of the whole night.  
  
"We have lost many elves as well. We lost Haldir of Lorien as well. He led us here. I had known him my whole life. He too is out there." Throhuil spoke softly.  
  
She finally could no longer hold it all in, "How could they just leave them out there! It is not right! It is not kind! They left them to die, just like they would have left you! Look! What sort of place is this to die! I'll bet he was afraid. He was alone and afraid! He was too young to be out here, they should not have taken him! All they did was send him to his death! It is not fair!" she shouted, bursting into tears and sinking slowly to the ground.  
  
Throhuil sat beside her and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "But you did not leave me." He said, trying to cheer her. "If not for you I would have been the same. Diola 'lle"  
  
"W-what does that mean?" she asked, her tears lessening.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I-I told you you couldn't die." She smiled slightly and hugged him continuing to cry quietly for their losses.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I will not forget you or what you did for me Lady Farwila. Nor will anyone else I know." Throhuil smiled as he mounted his horse. The small amount of elves that were still living were returning home. "Or you Lady Faresala" he smiled at the little girl who was holding her big sisters hand with one hand, and his helmet in the other. He had given it to her to keep, so she could have something to show her friends. He could just imagine her telling stories of how she had met an elf.  
  
"Take care Throhuil." Farwila said smiling back.  
  
"And remember, you must come visit Lothlorien sometime."  
  
Farwila and Faresala both nodded.  
  
"Namarie" and with that the elves of Lorien began their return home; the alliance between men and elves stronger than ever.  
  
  
  
  
  
A.N.: Woah that ending so sucked. Lol. And no, they did not fall in love. ;) Or at least I did not plan that they would. I suppose if that's what you want to think, it would work, but I did not intend it. The dark haired man with Lady Eowyn was Aragorn. Please R/R and tell me what you think! And if you like Legolas/Arwen fics read my other story "Nobody Knows it but me". ! :D I look forward to your reviews! ~~~Arwen (Lauri) 


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